Sasuke's Hobby
by antilogicgirl
Summary: Sasuke has a hobby. He likes to play with people. His favorite toy: Yamanaka Ino. She's just so fun to mess with. Only, when she gets into his head, his little hobby gets him into big trouble.
1. Wrath Of The Shintenshin

**A/N: **Hello, and welcome. This is another one of my attempts to figure out why Sasuke is the way he is. It's short. Only 2 chapters. Warnings...oh, yeah. Slight language warning, high angst warning, and uber-high devious Sasuke warning. Sasuke-lovers/fangirls might not want to read this, as it does tend toward bashing. I don't ABSOLUTELY hate the boy, I just think he's a jerk. A really big jerk. So, other than that, we get to see Ino and Sasuke pairing up habitually on missions, since oddly enough, she and Sakura are the 2 women in the village that AREN'T gaga over him. We also get to see Morino Idate, one of my favorite filler-characters. He's a minor plot device, people, and he will never be more than that, but he's a good kid. Oh, I almost forgot. For those of you who don't know, the_ Shintenshin_ is Ino's signature jutsu. And, I wanted to add that I use military time in this fic.

**Legal Stuffiness: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters therein. Kisimoto Masashi, sole proprietor, and he owns my soul.

* * *

**Sasuke's Hobby

* * *

Chapter 1: **Wrath of the Shintenshin 

11:00 hours

Apartment of Yamanaka Ino.

Looking around her, she took in the disaster area that was her apartment, and sighed deeply. "How did I let it get this way?" Ino shook her head as she fished pizza boxes from under a mountain of dirty clothes. "It looks like some really messy _genin_ live here! I swear if anyone sees this place looking like both Naruto and Kiba's apartments exploded everywhere, I'm going to die." Stuffing the boxes into a plastic garbage bag, she growled curses at herself. After she was done scanning the room for any more loose garbage, she was satisfied that the rest was just dirty clothes and dishes.

Once she picked up all of the dirty (and some moldy…eeew…) dishes, she brought them all into the kitchen and turned on the tap to soak them. Sink now full of water, she turned to the absolutely huge mound of clothing strewn over the floor. Ino smiled wryly as she rolled up her sleeves. Sorting them into three large piles (dark colors, light ones, and whites), she then started stuffing them into her laundry duffels to bring them down to the coin-operated laundry in the basement. It all fit in. Barely, but it fit. Now, her living room contained: one couch (lumpy), two chairs (wooden Adirondack things that you can't get up out of unless you're really flexible), a small all-purpose table, a stand lamp, and three very large bags of laundry.

It was Friday night, and she was doing laundry. This led her to one undeniable conclusion: **_Life Sucks_**.

Just then, as if things couldn't possibly get _any_ worse, there was a knock on her door. Groaning, she answered it. She raised a slim blonde eyebrow at the man who stood at her door. "Well, well. Never thought _you_ would show up at my door, Sasuke." She crossed her arms under her breasts and leaned on the doorframe. Even if he was a cold and unfeeling bastard, he was a cute bastard. She could _look_, even if she had no intention whatever of touching. The vision of icy male perfection somehow managed to _lounge_ while standing up, regarding her through that infernally stubborn set of black bangs. That cool gaze no longer gave her pause, not even the old flutter of her heart.

"Ino, you're summoned."

"Aw, shit, Sasuke. You could have said anything else, and I would be jumping for joy. A summons? What is it now?" She rolled her eyes, then turned her head back to her bags of laundry. They would have to wait, and she'd have to go smelly. Damn.

"Tsunade-sama has a prisoner that you need to help her with." Rolling her eyes again, she wondered yet again at how he could be so utterly un-verbose. This seemed to be all she was good for. Interrogation. Yamanaka Inoshi's daughter pushed herself off of the doorframe.

"Fine. I'll be out in a minute." She turned, and he caught her wrist. Slowly, she looked back at him. Tone low and threatening, she said, "Let me go, Uchiha." There was a light smirk on his lips. Why did he never change? Would he always be the cold, arrogant, unfeeling, annoying bastard that he had been since they were children?

"You're supposed to come _now._" The smirk had set itself deeper into his features, now reaching his eyes. He was toying with her. If there was one thing she hated, it was people screwing with her. So, she broke his grip, then twisted his arm behind his back, and pushed him against the wall of the landing. The two were pressed together, Ino's blue eyes staring harshly up into eyes that were so dark gray they could easily be mistaken for black. Those dark eyes seemed amused.

"Back off, yaro. I might not be at your level, but I'm still a jounin, like you. You should show the proper respect." Ino released his arm, and then pushed away from him. He grinned—actullay freaking _grinned_—at her. That grin said that he was giving her all the respect he felt she needed. Now she just wanted to get away from that smug face. Sighing, Ino reached for the doorknob, and pulled the door closed, picking up her sandals just before the door closed. Tugging them on, she looked up at Sasuke, who was regarding her in an odd way. "You want to take a picture?" He snorted, and she started down the stairs.

* * *

That was…amusing. Oh, she knew very well she didn't have the ability to take him, but she'd made the vague, amorphous threat. Sasuke followed the woman down the stairs, silently chuckling to himself. At least she wasn't falling all over herself and squealing. Not that the rest of the village women weren't doing that exact thing. He'd even caught some of the men looking at him. 

To say that Sasuke didn't realize that he was the best thing since sliced bread would certainly _not_ be true. He knew very well that one look into his eyes would knock the wind out of half of Konohagakure's population, whether from fear or admiration. The dark (now retired, since Itachi was dead) avenger was well aware that if he smiled at nearly any woman in the village, she would readily do anything he asked. For a long time, he had thought of this as a simple annoyance. But in the two years since his twentieth birthday, he found that it was almost like having a secret power. _Hn. Let's face it. It's not a secret at all._

That's why he found Ino so amusing. He liked to watch her face when he played with her. She wasn't attracted to him anymore, for reasons that he simply did not understand, and didn't care to know. So, unlike in earlier years, Tsunade felt comfortable sending them on missions together. That was all it took to turn the bubbly blonde into a seething mass of anti-Uchiha angst, and he loved it. It was free entertainment, and who was Sasuke to pass up a good show?

Walking down the street next to her, he snuck a look at the blonde kunoichi. That scene on the landing had been fun. He had completely _allowed_ her to get the upper hand, of course. It was much more fun when she thought she had some power over the situation. Upon entering the Tower, he stepped ahead of her, and when they came to the Hokage's office, he knocked and left her in the hallway, the door closing not an inch from her nose. He nearly giggled as he felt her chakra flare in anger through the thick wood of the door. Sasuke was going to get a severe tongue-lashing for that, but the only regret he had was that he couldn't get popcorn beforehand.

"Tsunade-sama," He bowed formally, as he always did to the blonde Hokage. "Yamanaka Ino is here." His voice rolled forth, playing through the air like dark waves, and as he stood straight from his bow, he saw the woman eyeing him suspiciously.

"What did you do this time, Sasuke? I can feel her chakra spiking all the way over here." She got up from her desk and walked past him to the door, smacking the back of his head roughly as she did. Opening the door, she revealed a very ticked off Ino. "Come in, Ino-chan. And try to be calm. I've already chastised him." The younger blonde glanced over at Sasuke, who was scowling (more for effect than any sort of pain) at the Hokage and rubbing at the back of his head.

Ino nodded curtly and said, "What are the specifics, Godaime-sama?" The ample-busted woman handed her a tan file-folder. "Morino Idate? That kid from the Tea Country?"

Sasuke drawled lazily, "And Morino Ibiki's younger brother." Eyes widening so quickly that it was nearly comical, Ino looked up from the file.

"So…What's the problem? Nothing in this file suggests improper behavior after the problem with Aoi was cleared up." She handed the file back, and crossed her arms, trying for all she was worth to ignore that Sasuke even existed (let alone that he was standing two feet away). Instead of the Hokage answering, Sasuke forced her to acknowledge his presence by speaking first.

"He is still a missing-nin, Ino. No matter how much time has passed, Sandaime-sama had him declared as such, and that is all there is to it. You are to find out the extent of his traitorous behavior, if there is any at all, and report it to me." He watched as she bristled. Oh, this was going to be fun. Then, he nearly blinked, because her face changed to a sweet smile. Warning bells started going off in his head.

"Of course, Sasuke-_kun_, anything for _you_." Then, before he could dodge, she used one of the many variations on the _Shintenshin_ that she had developed, aiming it directly at him. The sensation of having some kind of viscous liquid pumped into his head by way of his eyeballs came over him, and then he heard (but didn't really hear, since it was in his head), Ino laughing. He watched his hands flexing, and then his voice.

"I'm an asshole. Ooooh, did that sound good." The nearly girly inflection sounded slightly wrong in his voice, and he saw Tsunade out of the corner of his eye, smiling in a very amused way. She was trying not to laugh! Damn her!

_"Oh, but Sasuke, you shouldn't say such things about the Hokage. Remember, you're not alone in here anymore." Ino's bubbling laughter echoed through his mind._

"_Get out of my head, witch." Sasuke growled as he witnessed himself performing a short ballet recital for the Hokage. All that was missing was the fairy princess and a pink tutu. He really was going to kill Ino when she finally got the hell out of his head._

"_Damn, Sasuke. You've got issues! Look at this!" Through his mind flashed images of his brother, Naruto, and Orochimaru all blending together. "Naruto no baka isn't like either of those two, and you should know that already. Is there no hope for…oh, I know you didn't." Those warning bells were going off again, and he had nowhere to run, and definitely nowhere to hide. "You good-for-nothing, cold-hearted, hentai **BASTARD**!" Oh. That. "I can't believe you'd do that! That's it, I'm getting out of here, and when I do, you'd better recover faster than I do, so that you can run."_

The pressure in his skull lessened, and he choked, coughed, and sputtered, unable to get used to the feeling of breathing for himself again. Then, no air was coming at all, because Ino's hand was clamped down around his throat. "You little _shit_." His eyes bulged, and he tried to claw her hand from his throat. For some reason, her grip was like steel. He watched as she looked to the Hokage. "Let me kill him, Tsunade-sama. Please! I'll do D-ranked missions for the rest of my life. Just let me rid the world of him." That, thank every got that ever existed, was when the elder woman intervened.

"No, Ino. Put him down." The Hokage's voice was still rather amused. But, when had his feet left the floor? He felt himself being dropped, and when his knees didn't hold out, he crumpled to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. He glared up at Ino and the Hokage. After muttering something about blondes, he stood shakily. Tsunade cuffed him on the side of the head, and he scowled, this time genuinely. "Ino, please question Morino Idate. Then, make your report to Sasuke. Sasuke," The woman's dark brown eyes bored into his, and she said, "You will apologize. Not right now. You will have until she makes her report to think over whatever it was you did. I suggest you at least make some attempt to have it sound convincing."

Nodding, he left the room with Ino. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Ino looked back at him, and there were tears in her eyes. _Oh, shit._ She saw the blank expression he had, and then whirled completely around and shoved him against the wall. Her voice was choked with tears. "After everything we've been through together…you _asshole._ How could you?"

"Ino, I…" He didn't know what it was he wanted to say, but he felt that he should say something. Sasuke had, perhaps, taken his 'entertainment' just a little too far, just once.

"Was it a prank? Did you do it for kicks? Or do you really think that little of me?" Her face looked so haggard at the moment, there was no way he could speak. The young Uchiha merely stood there, blinking, his mouth opening and closing like that of a fish. "Don't just stand there, you _moron!_ Answer me. I want to know why you did it." Vocal chords wouldn't move, though his mouth tried to form the words. "What was that? I can't hear you." Why were her eyes looking like the fires of hell were about to burn him alive like that? He blinked, yet again. Then, the final blow fell, and he didn't even see it coming. Her hand flew, leaving a stinging red imprint on the left side of his face. She stalked off down the stairs to the basement, where the prisoner was being held.

* * *

Sakura was awakened at three in the morning by a _very_ loud knock at her apartment door. Growling curses to herself, she disentangled herself from the sheets and threw on her robe. When she got to the door, blinking in the light of the hallway, she found a chuunin messenger. "You have a mission, Haruno-san." The man handed her a scroll, and made a polite bowing exit. 

Slamming the door in irritation, she flicked the light-switch. Then she broke the seal on the scroll and examined the contents. These days, she was usually shift supervisor at the hospital, as well as being one of the three chief surgeons. Missions weren't an uncommon occurrence, but she hadn't had one that took her outside the Fire Country in two years. Her eyebrow rose as she read the Hokage's flowing script. She had been specifically requested by one of the other jounin on the mission? That could only mean one of two things: one was that there was high possibility of injury, and the other was that there was bad team dynamics, and she was going to be the balance.

Finally, at the very end, she found the list of names in the team. It was short.

_Uchiha Sasuke _

_Yamanaka Ino_

_Haruno Sakura _

She leaned against the back of the door. "What the hell is going on?" What in the world was the Hokage thinking? _She_ was supposed to balance them out? Ino and Sasuke got along just fine. Ino wasn't gaga over Sasuke anymore, and neither, for that matter, was she. She'd been dating Hyuuga Neji for the past six months, and he suited her just fine.

The Uchiha even had Ino to thank for Itachi's death. If not for her, Itachi would have killed Sasuke. While the thought of being grateful would absolutely never cross his mind, Sakura was sure that he would at least give her the amount of respect that a jounin deserved. And as far as she knew, he did. But if the mission scroll in her hands was any indication, that was not the case. In any case, she needed sleep. Rolling it up, she put it in a metal bowl on the table. From a cabinet, she produced a magnesium stick and a knife. Having shaved off a few small bits of the magnesium, she blew on the scroll, and it burst instantly into flame. She smiled. Maybe in another life, she'd been a pyromaniac.

They were set to leave at nine in the morning. That still left her at least four hours before she had to get up and shower. The bare minimum for a full morning recovery for her was two hours, especially if she was going to leave word at the Hyuuga compound for Neji as to her whereabouts.

* * *

09:00 hours 

Day 1, Mission to Tea Country

Konohagakure gates.

Ino was talking to a very familiar-looking young man with dark hair and a prominent nose. His face was tense. Sakura elbowed Sasuke in the ribs, and he pushed himself off of the village wall. She noticed that he wasn't looking at Ino, and that his scowl was deeper than she had seen it for some time. Eyes narrowed, she said, "Sasuke, what is your problem?" When he looked up at her, his eyes had a hunted look to them. Sakura blinked. "She used it on you, didn't she?" He nodded. "How many times did I tell you when the two of you started working together—"

"Oi. I know. Don't get her pissed at me. How was I supposed to know what would set her off?" Sakura sighed. He honestly was completely clueless.

Ino and Idate were closer now, so she lowered her voice. "You push enough buttons, Sasuke, and one's bound to have an adverse effect. Did you apologize?" He nodded. "What did you do? No, wait. Don't tell me. I'm not getting in the middle of you two. Sort this mess out on your own." He blinked down at her. He seemed to be doing that a lot this morning. She turned from him and greeted the two newcomers.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Idate-san! Long time no see."

"Sakura-san? Is that you?" He rushed forward and shook her hand vigorously. "I hardly recognized you!" He took in her uniform and smiled. "So, you're a jounin now? That's wonderful!" He looked over at Sasuke, nodding in acknowledgement. Sasuke did the same.

"Can we get moving?" Ino said tartly as she walked past them, adjusting her pack on her shoulders. Sakura's temper twitched. Not much, but she was ever so slightly annoyed. Those two were really going to work her nerves.

They walked for some time before breaking for lunch, and Sakura talked animatedly with Idate, about what he had been doing since they last met years ago, and she alternately watched Ino and Sasuke, who weren't speaking to anyone. Sakura broke off a chunk of her bread and threw it at Sasuke's head. "Oi, baka! Wake up!" He caught it before it struck, showing that he was not spacing out. Her eyes narrowed. She turned to Idate. "Please excuse me, just for a minute." He nodded, and she stood, striding over to Ino.

Grabbing the woman by her thick ponytail, she hauled her off of her feet. "Come on, Ino-pig. I need to talk to you." The captive woman squawked indignantly, and Sakura sniggered. Once they were fifty feet away from Sasuke and Idate, she released Ino and turned to her. "What's going on with you and Sasuke?"

"Nothing. I hate that bastard." Ino's eyes were a very dark shade of blue. This was Ino at her most annoyed.

"That's not what I meant, Ino, and you know it. I mean why the hell are you so bitchy, and how come he's got his tail between his legs every time he looks at you?" She flipped her hair out of her eyes. "He's all…nervous. It's creeping me out. He's mission commander, you're here as backup, and I'm along for the ride. There's no way that I'm not here for a reason, Ino. You requested me, didn't you?"

"Yes. I just didn't want to be alone with him. You're my best friend, and he's the biggest asshole on the planet. Two against one is fair when it comes to him." Sakura didn't like the sound of that. What had he _done_? When she asked, Ino turned various shades of red and said nothing more. Sakura's hands balled into fists, and she felt a headache coming on. Breathing deeply, she sat on the grass, closed her eyes, and practiced the meditation techniques that Neji had shown her. "Sakura?"

"Shut up and go sit back down, Ino. I need to get rid of the headache you and Sasuke are giving me." She heard her friend turn away. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nice to him for the sake of the mission." Ino's footsteps sped up. Well, so much for that idea.

* * *

20:30 hours 

Day 2, Mission to Tea Country

12 Kilometers to Tea Country Border

Sasuke had first watch. He was miserable. Granted, he didn't _usually_ talk very much, but the fact that he'd only grunted and given monosyllablic answers to direct questions for the past thirty-seven and a half hours was starting to get to him. Even if he was the famous loner Uchiha, he did need some human interaction. As he sat on a very gnarled tree root, wrapped in his blanket, he surveyed the campsite.

A small fire pit, ringed in stones, was at the center, the fire dying down. Sakura slept directly opposite him, with Idate nearest her. Ino was wrapped up in her blanket six feet to Sasuke's left. She had taken her hair down to sleep, and the seemingly unending mass of golden strands was spread out over the ground. His thoughts turned to his predicament. Why _had_ he done it? He couldn't answer her the other day, because he honestly didn't know. How should he know? Half of the things he did were to entertain himself. The others were to perform missions. So, he supposed that the answer was that he did what he had for his own entertainment. That could possibly prove difficult to explain.

For a moment, he imagined several explanation scenarios. The all ended in her slapping him. He supposed that he could admit that it had been overstepping his bounds. But it had been so tempting! It wasn't like she closed the shades…He remembered to the night in question.

_Sasuke sat on the roof of a nearby building. He had been watching Ino for some time. It was amazing how different people behaved when they were in their own little world. In the first ten minutes, he watched as she shed her sandals and vest, and started to cook her dinner. She sat at the little table in the middle of the living area, and ate what looked like miso soup and white rice, with a small pot of steamed vegetables. He had her pegged for eating things that were more…rich._

_Now, she was lying on her couch, a book resting on her stomach, and she looked to be falling asleep. Indeed, her head kept dropping forward. Finally, she had put the book away. Rising from the couch, she left the room in favor of her bedroom. Sasuke had shifted his position on the roof, allowing for his better view._

_Sasuke had seen women naked before. He was, to say the least, experienced. But for some reason, when he saw Ino unbuttoning her shirt, removing her pants, then finally stripping off her undergarments, he was utterly mesmerized. And, he knew it was something that, by all means, he should **not** be seeing. That didn't make him any more able to move, though. This was a woman he worked with. She had saved his ass, and he had saved hers. They trusted each other. And he was watching her like a pervert, breaking that trust. All for his own…entertainment? No, that wasn't the right word. He felt more like he was studying her. She was an enigma to him._

_Unlike Sakura, who had Neji, Ino was completely single. She had no one to take her mind off of the crush she had once harbored. He wanted to understand. He wanted to know why she had suddenly decided that he was utterly unworthy of her attention. He supposed it was childish, in a way, to wish to be loved by everyone. It was certainly moronic to think that it was possible. But she had fought tooth and nail with Sakura over him, only to just…stop. What in the world had happened?_

_So here he was, trying to figure her out, and getting more than he bargained for. She removed the tie from her hair, and it went spilling down to her thighs, barely obscuring the pale skin of her body. Ino started running a bath, and Sasuke watched, fascinated, mesmerized, entranced. Steam filled the bathroom, and Sasuke could barely see her anymore. He only caught flashes of gold as her hair caught the light of the room._

_He left soon after, his trance broken now that he couldn't see her._

It had been not for his entertainment. He felt that he could explain now. But there was the problem of how to do it without having her Shintenshin him into oblivion. Definitely a problem. Until his watch was through, he simply stared at her. Her chest rose and fell slowly, evenly, but she otherwise was motionless.

* * *

19:00 hours 

Day 4, Mission to Tea Country

House of Green Leaves, an inn

"What do you mean, Sakura? How come I have to share a room with him? Why can't I room with you?" Ino hissed, as she was dragged to the small bathhouse. Sakura made an annoyed noise in her throat. What the hell was she trying to do? If she was trying to force Ino to kill Sasuke, it might just work. If she shared a room with that hentai, there was far too much chance that he'd go and peep at her again. For that matter, what about now? There was nothing but a bamboo partition between the men's and women's sides of the bathhouse. He was already in the men's portion.

"Damn it, Ino. Stop being so freaking paranoid. Now. We're here. Get undressed. This will relax you, I promise." Grumbling, Ino did as she was told. They had dropped Idate off at the daimyo's yesterday, and were on their way back to Konohagakure. It was Sakura's bright idea to deviate from their path by six kilometers so that they could sleep at an inn. Now, she was making Ino sleep in the same room as Sasuke. It went without saying that she was absolutely mutinous. She growled curses under her breath at Sakura as she tore off her clothes, and wrapped a towel around herself.

As she was fixing her hair into a braid, and then a bun, she saw Sakura eyeing her. "What?" she snapped, not really waiting for an answer before taking up one of the small wooden buckets and a cloth. These she took into the bath area, filling the bucket with cold water from the basin and taking it over to the steaming water. After settling herself into the water, she had to admit that it felt good. The small cloth, she dipped into the cold water and placed on her head. The difference in temperature had an interesting effect. She sighed heavily, leaning against one of the gently worn rocks next to the partition.

Her relaxed state was so far advanced by this time that she hadn't noticed that Sakura had not shown up. Even if she had, she probably wouldn't have moved to find her. It simply felt too wonderful. From the other side of the wall, she could hear the men talking. It was wonderful to be in her section of the bath all by herself. That way, she didn't have to worry about anyone bothering her.

"Hey kid, you're too young to look like that." Ino heard the voice of an elderly (and rather jovial) gentleman float over the wall. Then, the 'kid' answered him in a voice that was familiar to her. It rumbled and flowed all at once. Sasuke.

"Look, mister, I'm trying to relax. Leave me alone."

The elderly man's laugh sounded deep and genuine. "Oh, come on, kid. It can't be as bad as all that. Come on and tell me. What happened? Did your pet kitty die?" Ino nearly snorted as she heard the smile on the man's face. The sound of water swishing, and a wet slap was heard, like a hand on stone, then she could hear Sasuke's voice more clearly. It seemed he had turned his back on the man, and was now facing the wall. Right next to her head.

"No one died. At least not yet. If anyone did, it would probably be me." Ino noted (with not a little satisfaction) that Sasuke sounded rather miserable.

"Was it one of those pretty little things you came here with? The one with the pink hair…hehe. She's cute." _Are all men perverts? Geesh_. Ino rolled her eyes. This guy was worse than Kakashi _and_ Ebisu. When Sasuke was silent, the old man continued. "You're not…are you?" Ino could imagine the hand gesture the man had used just then, and it wasn't one she was happy to know. She was just about to get up and leave, completely disgusted, when Sasuke snorted.

"Hell no. The three of us work together. Sakura—the girl with the pink hair—is practically engaged. The other one, Ino, she's not happy with me right now." The water swished again. He must have turned back to face the old man. "I don't know how to explain to her why I did what I did." Another wet slap was heard. This time, it sounded like skin on skin. Had he smacked himself? "I mean, I know why, but if I tell her, she'll kill me. Really. She will. Why are women so scary?"

"Look, kid, unless you tell her, she'll probably kill you anyway. Happened with my sister. Her husband was cheating, she found out, and gave him multiple chances to tell her. He didn't, so she beat him senseless, stripped him naked, tied him up, and left him at the nearest crossroads. I think he got picked up by the local circus." The old man made a few derisive chuckles, presumably because of a face that Sasuke was making, and exited the bath.

"Damned bastards. Just because they have a few years on me…they don't know everything." Sasuke growled, and Ino heard a loud splash. It seemed that he was dunking himself. Ignoring the noises from the other side of the wall, she moved her hands over the water's surface, and began to hum.

* * *

Sasuke came up from the third dunking he'd given himself, shook the water out of his hair, and leaned against the warm rocks. There was a light humming drifting over the wall. It got louder until a feminine voice began to sing a wordless tune, and he closed his eyes to listen. It was like the old stories his mother told him when he was a very little boy. _"If you listen to the mermaid's song, Sasuke-chan, you'll be pulled in, and never return."_ His mother had always told the best stories… 

The voice became quiet, and then began again, this time in a low, brooding melody which, though it had no words, caused something in his chest to tighten. He could feel words trying to form, but not quite getting there. They were sad and angry, but never remorseful. The words that weren't words flowed through his head, and he leaned his head back, letting the cool air of the room drift over him.

He would never be able to explain why, but he found a low musical sound coming from his own mouth, blending with that of the mermaid on the other side of the wall. Her voice caught for only a moment, then continued, lilting and mesmerizing, with his baritone forming the perfect counterpoint. For those few moments, he thought he knew what it was like to be happy, and to be at peace. When the voice from the other side of the wall suddenly stopped, he did as well, and then he heard splashing, indicating that she was leaving the bath. He smiled softly, opening his eyes.

He rose and got out of the bath, walking back to the changing room without bothering to get a towel. Sasuke was far too relaxed for modesty. The mermaid he'd heard had made sure of that. Taking one of the green (his least favorite color) yukata from the rack on the wall, he belted it around himself, and picked up the small basket that held his clothes and went to the room that he was assigned to. When he got there, he was just about to open the door when Sakura burst out of the room, smiling a little too widely. "Sasuke-kun, can I talk to you?"

"Sakura? What were you doing in my room?"

"Oh, um, about that. I was wondering if I could have this one. I can't stand Ino's snoring." Sasuke's eyes nearly fell from his face. She was trying to—_oh, no you don't Sakura._ He shook his head. "Please? She's a bear! The last time I had to room with her, I didn't sleep at all. I get little enough as it is! Please, Sasuke?" Oh, damn. _Why did that pink-haired annoyance have to put it that way?_

Sighing, he said, "Fine. But if she kills me, it's on your head. I'll haunt you for all eternity." Sakura smiled brightly, and shoved him into the room next door. He stumbled over his own feet, and had to catch himself on the wall to keep from falling. "Damned Sakura." He set his things down on the small table, and then went to the futon nearest the window. It looked comfortable enough. When he lay down on it, he sighed. It was comfortable. Turning onto his side, he pulled the blanket over himself and closed his eyes, sleep taking him in a very few minutes.


	2. Stay With Me

**A/N:** Ok. Here's the last bit. I like this chapter soooo much. It doesn't make me like Sasuke any more than I did before, but I like the chapter. Warnings: dark Itachi behavior and Sasuke killing Itachi, and complete unadulterated fluff at the end. Sorry. It had to be done. Sue me. Things to have fun with in this chapter: Sasuke gets cranky because Ino-pig eats his dumplings (no, that is NOT a sexual reference...get your heads out of the gutter!), Sasuke blushing, and just utter fluffy goodness.

**Legal Stuffiness:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters therein. Kisimoto Masashi, sole proprietor. He also owns my soul.

* * *

**Sasuke's Hobby

* * *

Chapter 2:** Stay With Me

_It was dark. The sky, the forest, everything. Sasuke could barely see anything, even with the heightened vision given him by the Sharingan. "Ino. What's your position?" He asked quietly through the radio at his neck._

_"Fifty meters north of you. Do you see the target?" How was he supposed to see anything under the thick forest canopy, on the night of a new moon? There weren't even any fireflies._

_"Negative. You?" He was starting to get worried. If they'd missed the rendezvous point, or overshot their timeframe, they would have to try again tomorrow. He hated assassinations. The son of a smalltime daimyo in the Lightening country wasn't exactly tough to deal with, but the environmental conditions were hell._

_"Negative. Wait. I see…something. It's moving fast. Check your one o'clock. Should be within your interception range in ten seconds." Ino's voice sounded tense. What had she seen? He moved in the direction she mentioned, and in the exact amount of time she indicated, he found himself standing face to face with a figure his own height, shrouded in a long, black coat. Upon further inspection, he saw the red clouds, outlined in white, scattered over the coat. Looking up to the figure's face, he saw only blackness, but knew that he was looking into the eyes of his brother._

_"Ah, Sasuke. How nice to see you. I didn't expect to find you here. Especially with such a…lovely partner." Itachi's black-nailed hand reached inside his coat, and pulled Ino from its dark folds. Damn. He should have known that Itachi would have gotten to her, but then, how could he have known? Ino was bound, and she was struggling like mad. He had to give her credit for that. She had guts. Not necessarily brains, but guts, yes. One of Itachi's hands held a kunai, and it was pressed against Ino's throat. She made a small whimper, and Itachi leaned down and whispered in her ear, just loud enough for Sasuke to hear, "Don't squirm, darling. It will all be over soon. Then you and I can have a bit of fun. Won't that be nice?"_

_Of course, Ino went still, her eyes widening, and falling onto Sasuke with the "if-you-save-me-I'll-love-you-forever" look in them. Damn. He hated his brother. Then, suddenly, the light in her eyes changed, and they flicked from Sasuke to Itachi and back again, then blinked a couple of times. She had a plan? Guts, and maybe brains too. That would be nice. So, he kept the man talking for a couple of minutes._

_"Before we do this, I want to know something." Sasuke made his voice sound oh so very angry. He even said this through clenched teeth. "I want you to tell my why. Why did you do it?"_

_His brother laughed. He laughed long and hard. "Foolish brother. You have no idea the power that you have denied yourself. You could have had the same power I did long ago, but refused it."_

_"That's because I don't need the Mangekyo Sharingan to defeat you. I can do it on my own, without cheating." Itachi's eyes had burned then. They flared, the chakra flowing into them making them glow. "Oh, yes. You're cheating, Itachi. You couldn't get stronger on your own, so you killed your best friend to do it. You're pathetic." Just then, Ino made her move. Using a variant of the Shintenshin, she paralyzed Itachi, and pulled away from him._

_"Ok, Sasuke, it's now or never." He looked at her, straining against Itachi's will. Her face was pained, and she said, "Hurry up! I can only hold this for ten more seconds!" That had him snap out of whatever had been holding him there, staring at her. He went over to his brother, and pulled the katana from his back._

_"Gomen, Itachi. I wish you could have been saved. For our clan." With that, he took Itachi's head. Ino collapsed to the ground, and Sasuke sagged. He turned to her, chuckled lightly, and said, "That was anticlimactic. I always imagined a huge battle, one that would destroy half the Fire Country." He slumped down to the ground and leaned against her._

_"I guess the daimyo's son will have to wait?" How did her voice sound so calm? He had carried out one half of his lifelong ambition. For that matter, why wasn't he doing a little dance of joy? He made an affirmative grunt, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "You okay?"_

_"Yeah. Just drained." They fell asleep just like they were, leaning on each other._

_In the morning, with the light filtering through the trees, Sasuke had awakened to find Itachi's body, and realized that it had not been a dream. He shifted, and lay Ino down gently so that he didn't wake her. Then, he dragged his brother's body to the edge of the clearing, and used the Katon Gokkakyu no Jutsu to burn his body. He stood there, watching it burn, and soon heard footsteps behind him. Ino came to stand next to him. "You loved him, didn't you? When you were little?"_

_"Hai."_

_"That never really dies, you know." She looked up at him, and scrunched up her nose. "You've got his blood all over your face." Ino then handed him a small canteen and a handkerchief. He wet it and wiped the blood away. She threw the thing onto the makeshift bier, and it burned with Itachi's body. They stayed there until the body was completely burned, and then buried the ashes. Then they went back to their mission as if nothing had happened._

_The daimyo's son was dead by the afternoon._

* * *

Ino watched Sasuke toss and turn in his sleep. What was he dreaming about? She could remember being on missions with him when he'd wake up screaming, and she'd have to jump on him and shut him up. That was always frightening. She knew he'd seen and done some horrible things, but she still wondered what went on in his head. He started making noises, and his brow furrowed in distress. From her futon, she could see that he was frightened. What was he dreaming about? 

She sat up, and reached out a hand, laying it on his shoulder. He became still, but he was still whimpering. The sounds were so pitiful that Ino couldn't help but feel for him. Swallowing her dislike for him, she decided to take the high road and be a good person. She scooted closer to him, and sat next to his head. Her hands smoothed his hair, and she made soothing sounds that soon turned into a gentle humming. He became relaxed almost instantly as she began to hum.

She watched as his face became peaceful, and he seemed to be much calmer. When she tried to move, he started whining like a little boy. He looked so…young when he was asleep. It was as if he was ten years old, maybe even less. When he was awake, he seemed much older than he was. Life had done that to him, but he had helped it, too. Again, she moved, and again he made a soft cry, as if he really knew that she was there.

Ino came to the conclusion that if she moved too far away, he would eventually wake up screaming, and she didn't need that kind of heart attack just now. To avoid any such (extremely unpleasant) occurrence, she pulled her futon over next to his and lay down not more than a foot and a half from him. For a long time, she watched him in the fading light. His skin seemed almost to glow. Her eyes closed, and she remembered back in the bath, when she had been singing, and he had unknowingly joined her. He had sounded so…happy. Her thoughts became fuzzy, and she dozed off, with a rumbling baritone voice floating through her mind.

* * *

21:00 hours 

Day 4, Mission to Tea Country

House of Green Leaves, an inn

There was warmth not far away. It was welcoming, and he reached for it. In the sleepy bliss that blanketed him, he felt himself wrap his arms around the warm thing. It was soft, and smelled nice…like cinnamon... And it was moving, ever so slightly. Moving? Eyes fluttering open, Sasuke found Ino's face mere inches from his own, sleeping soundly. He was (and this is the understatement of the year) utterly surprised. Had he moved in his sleep? Did he roll onto her futon? After raising his head slightly to find that this was not the case, his mind started to work at a very high rate of speed. What had happened? Jumping to conclusions would be a very bad thing, and he decided that he should just wake her up.

Yet, again, there was the problem of how to do so without her flipping out. He thought long and hard about it, and decided that there was no way to avoid the verbal (and most likely physical) assault he had coming. If he wanted to know what had happened, he was going to have to face her wrath. So, as gently as he could, he moved a sheet of hair that had fallen into her eyes, hooking it behind her ear so that he could see her face. "Ino? Ino, wake up."

Her eyes opened, hazy blue, still half asleep. She seemed confused. "Sasuke?"

"Um, Ino, I have a question." For the first time in a very long while, he blushed, ever so slightly. The room was darkened, so she wouldn't have seen it (but still, he blushed!). He still hadn't really stopped holding her. The hand that had pushed her hair out of the way was resting lightly on her shoulder, and Sasuke still had his arm under her body. "How did you get so…um, that is to say, why are you so close to me?"

Now completely awake, she smiled slightly. "You remember how until the mission six months ago when you killed Itachi—"

Sasuke frowned, "When _we_ killed him."

Rolling her eyes, she continued without amending herself, "—you would wake up screaming?" He nodded, and his frown deepened. Those had not been good dreams, and he hated having to depend on her to calm him when they happened. "You would always start whining in your sleep before you'd start screaming. I heard you whining, and I calmed you down, even though you were asleep." Sasuke eyed her appraisingly. He was unsure what to make of that. "Then I tried to lay down on my futon, and you started making those awful noises again. Any time I moved, you'd sound like you were about to cry, or scream, or both. I didn't want you to scream, Sasuke. It scares me when you do."

She looked away from him. So, she had been concerned? Or was it just that she didn't want to deal with the annoyance? His thoughts moved in a downward spiral from there, each darker and more self-pitying than the last, but then Ino said, "I have a question, too." He snapped his eyes back to her face. "What are you doing?" Her eyes fell to his hand, still on her shoulder, now absently playing with the soft cotton of her yukata's sleeve. His eyes widened, and snatched both of his hands away so quickly that she was rolled onto her back. "Ahgh. Did you have to do that? I was actually pretty comfortable."

Sasuke blinked, staring at her. "I thought you didn't want me anywhere near you."

"I never said that."

"I thought you hated me?" He had to either confirm or allay his fears in some way, and this seemed the best method.

"Sasuke, I was, and I suppose still am, very angry with you. I don't hate you." How could that be? She was so utterly angry before, he was sure that she hated him. Had he been mistaken, or was she lying? There was one sure way to find out, but he was scared to try. He nearly laughed at himself. If Naruto could see him now, he would be laughing. Uchiha Sasuke, Ice Prince Extraordinaire, was scared to death of Yamanaka Ino. One might ask why he was frightened. There were multiple reasons, actually. The first, and most obvious, was the fear of bodily injury. While he was much stronger than her, he knew she fought dirty. Secondly, there was emotional risk involved. He was much more ready to gamble with his life than his feelings. And the list went on from there.

Fear, anxiety, and a life of solitude were all weighing down on him then, and with Ino looking at him like that, as if he were a real friend, someone she could trust…his brain just stopped working altogether. "I'm sorry," He said, miserably. Though, had anyone else but Ino heard it, they would only have heard a slightly raspy tinge to his voice, so that he sounded as if he had a frog in his throat. She blinked. And blinked again. How in the world could Uchiha Sasuke ever apologize? That seemed to be the question written in her eyes as she turned back onto her side. "I'm sorry I spied on you, Ino."

"Why did you?" Her voice was almost sulky.

"Curiosity. I wanted to understand you better." She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, he said, "I wanted to know why I was so unimportant to you all of a sudden." She nodded slowly, understanding. But she said nothing for a long moment, just looking at him. He felt as if she were coming to some kind of conclusion about him.

"So…" She said slowly, enunciating her words carefully, "You were insecure, because I stopped acting like an idiot just to get your attention?" He frowned at her as she said this, but grudgingly nodded. "Oh, that's funny, Sasuke. Okay. Let me explain this to you in terms that your man-brain can understand. I am me. I stopped being Sakura's twin a long time ago, so obviously I wouldn't act like her. Hell, even she stopped acting like her after you left. That doesn't mean that I don't like you. You just make me so…_angry_ sometimes. It's like you feel that everyone has been put here for your amusement. I'm not a toy for you to play with, Sasuke. Do you understand that?"

He nodded. "Truce?"

Ino smiled. "Truce. Now let's get back to sleep so we can wake Sakura up bloody early in the morning!" Her smile turned evil at this last, and she let out a malevolent chuckle.

Sasuke had no objection to that. But when Ino moved her futon back to where it had been, he had to hide a small frown of disappointment. She wasn't the only one who felt comfortable the way they had been. He lay down, facing the window, and covered himself with his blankets. "Good night, Ino."

"Good night, Sasuke." He heard this, but the proximity of the sound seemed wrong to him. It was right next to his ear. He started slightly, and then felt something soft and warm press against his cheek. Had the room not been dark, there would be, for the world to see, a dark flush staining his cheeks. She had given him a good night kiss. His hand strayed to the tiny patch of skin that her lips had grazed. In minutes, he was asleep, a tiny smile on his own lips.

* * *

06:30 hours 

Day 5, Mission to Tea Country

10 kilometers to Fire Country Border

Sakura yawned. "Why the hell did you wake me up so early? It's not like we needed to rush. Our mission was easy. I don't even know what people were worrying about. And I need my beauty sleep, damn it!" Both of her companions seemed to be trying not to laugh.

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice cut through the air at her as they ran through the treetops, "it was your idea that we deviate from our original plan. We're well rested. What were you doing all night?" Oh, he was definitely trying not to laugh (just looking at his smirk was making her want to knock his head off). Finally, he stopped smirking, and said, "If we hurry, we can be home by sunset. Come on." He ran ahead, and the girls had to push themselves to catch up. Once they did, the small group fell into a rhythm, and did not stop until they were within sight of the gates of Konohagakure.

"Oh, come on, forehead-woman. You can make it." Ino panted, and dragged Sakura away from the tree she was leaning on. How did she keep up with Sasuke like that? He was almost as much of a stamina freak as Naruto. Of course, her friend had been going on missions with Sasuke for a lot longer than she did when they were on the same team. Once the Hokage found a team that worked, she tended to keep them together until one of them died, retired, or the partnership went sour.

"No, really, Ino, I can't move." Sakura swatted Ino's hands away, and was surprised with the blonde woman scooped her up and slung her onto her back. Apparently, Ino wasn't keen on stopping.

"I want to eat dinner in my apartment tonight, Sakura." She started toward the gates at a low trot, and Sasuke fell in next to her as she carried Sakura.

"I can carry her if you want." He said quietly. Ino shook her head. "If you insist, but as soon as she starts getting too heavy, let me know." Sakura was not a little affronted by this comment, but it was clearly not meant for her to hear, so she kept her mouth shut. She was just glad that her little plan had worked. While the room-switching thing had been a little blatant, she knew that Sasuke had never suspected her _Henge_. It was almost more than she could stand to be in the men's bath. It was just a good thing that there was just she and Sasuke in there.

Ino soon deposited Sakura in front of her house, and Sasuke grunted, "Mission report tomorrow, at noon," before the two of them simply disappeared, using a teleportation jutsu. How they had that kind of chakra left, she would never know.

* * *

18:00 hours 

Home of Uchiha Sasuke

"You okay, Sasuke?" Ino asked, flopped on the couch. She wiggled her nose, and he nearly laughed at her. It reminded him of the tiny gray rabbit that he had as a very small boy. The little bunny had a habit of wriggling its nose, and he had thought that the gesture was the absolute most disgustingly cute thing in the world. On Ino, it just seemed funny.

"I'm fine. What's with the twitch?" He was lying in the middle of the hardwood floor, letting his back settle. It had been a while since he'd done the whole 'run-all-day-until-you-get-home' thing, and his back was killing him.

"Oh." She grinned sheepishly. "I smell. Bad." That did make him laugh. A semi-awkward silence followed, and she got up from where she had been half-lying on the couch. "I guess I'll go home now. I have got to take a shower." She made to leave, but Sasuke caught her ankle. Looking back and down at him, she said, "Yes?"

He let go of her ankle and pushed himself into a sitting position. There was that same fear again. Sasuke's stomach seemed to clench, and his heart tried to stop. _Calm down. You're friends. She won't completely freak out._ Once he'd convinced himself of this, he said, "Stay?" She blinked down at him. Her expression was completely unreadable.

"Why?" This was the really big question, and one that Sasuke wasn't really prepared to answer, even to himself. _Shit. I never have been good with words._ He reached up and pulled her hand until she was sitting down as well. Then he (very awkwardly) drew her close to him in a tight embrace.

"Because I _want_ you to. Please?" The last bit was so low and whispered that he was sure she hadn't heard it.

"Well, if you put it that way...But no peeking while I'm in the shower." He was so shocked by this that after he pulled away from her, he failed to see the amusement in her eyes.

"What? I wouldn't! I mean, that is—"

"Chill out, moron. I was just kidding. Is it somewhere in the Uchiha family code that you can't have a sense of humor?" She stood up. "I need a shower, and I need one now. Where is it?" He jumped to his feet, and led her down a hallway to he master bathroom. It was large, the walls painted a dark blue, with a separate shower and bathtub, both with gleaming white tile, as well as a long black marble dressing counter. Ino raised an eyebrow. "Nice. Do you have any clothes I could borrow? All of mine are dirty." Sasuke started. He hadn't thought of that.

"Hm. Wait here. I'll go see if I can find anything that would actually fit you." He ran to his bedroom and started rifling through his drawers. In the end, he found (for reasons unknown to him) one of the oldest t-shirts he owned, one from when he was a genin. The other piece of clothing he found for her was also from his genin days. Everyone would recognize his signature white shorts. Both were a little worn now, but they were the only things he had that wouldn't fall off of her. Once he'd gotten these things, he went back to the bathroom.

He found the place filled with steam, and a vague pinkish shape in the glass shower stall. Sasuke averted his eyes, just to be safe. "Um, Ino? I found you some stuff to wear. I'll just leave it on the counter." He nearly stammered. And, he was blushing again. He really needed to get control of himself. However, just when he thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, the door to the shower started swinging open. He heard it, but he couldn't move. "Ino, wait. I'm still in the—"

She stepped out of the shower, wrapped up in a towel. _Oh, thank you, Kami-sama. _He pointed at the clothes on the counter wordlessly and left the room as quickly as he could. Sasuke thought he heard her laughing as he walked down the hall to his room again. When he got there, he stripped himself of his jounin uniform, and threw it on the floor. It was beyond soiled, but he didn't even have the will to put it in the hamper. Walking into his own small bathroom, he turned on the shower and stepped in. The water felt wonderful.

For what seemed like hours, he simply stood under the spray, feeling it so hot against his skin it nearly burned him, but still making him want to stay there. Finally, he took up a wash cloth and the soap, and cleaned away the grime of the day's travel, then washed his hair, only getting a tiny bit of shampoo in his eyes. After turning off the water, Sasuke reached out of the shower curtain to get his towel, only to find it missing. His frown appeared, and he stuck his head out of the shower. Then, he remembered. He hadn't gotten a towel at all.

As he grumbled to himself about being a moron and how it was cold in the house, he trudged to the door, next to which was a cabinet where he kept the towels. He dried himself, then wrapped it around his waist, heading into his bedroom to get into something comfortable for bed. Bed. That sounded really good. He was growing more and more weary by the moment. Finally settling on a dark gray pair of cotton pajama pants and a sweatshirt that Naruto had given him for his birthday (on the front was, in large print, "I'm a Bunshin. He went that way," with an arrow that pointed to the left) which Sasuke had nearly fallen down laughing at. He wore it when he went jogging. More than one fangirl had been (against all reason) fooled, and he needed to remember to thank the moron later.

Now warm and comfortable, he left his room and went in search of Ino. He found her in the kitchen, raiding the refrigerator. "Ugh…" He heard her say.

"I haven't cleaned that for a while, now. Maybe we could order?" She closed the refrigerator door, and Sasuke blinked. The door had been blocking his view of her, except for her head and shoulders. Now, he saw that maybe his regular clothes would have been better to give her. The shirt was extremely tight, and the shorts…how did they get that short? Trying his best to ignore the fact that he would never be able to look at those clothes the same way, he pulled three menus from the refrigerator door.

The first, Ichiraku Ramen, was ruled out, simply because they didn't feel like it. Then there was the Korean Barbeque, which was also ruled out, because Ino went there often enough with Chouji. That left the Blue Dragon. Sasuke picked up his telephone and, before dialing, asked, "What would you like?"

Ino stared at the menu, and it looked like she was about to fall asleep. Finally, she said, "Yakisoba. What are you getting?"

"Oh, I usually order off of the Chinese menu. Steamed dumplings and sesame chicken are good together, but I'm really hungry, so I'm getting the vegetable fried rice, too." She peered over at him, an amused smile on her face. "What?"

"You must be hungry. They always give you a hell of a lot of food." He just stuck out his tongue at her and then smiled and proceeded to order the food. An hour later, they were sitting on the floor in the living room, and Ino kept stealing his dumplings. "You were right, Sasuke. This stuff is good." He shoved her away from his food.

"Eat your yakisoba, piggy. You leave my dumplings alone." As he wagged a finger at her, she leaned her head to one side, and then picked up another dumpling and threw it at his head. Shifting very slightly, he caught it in his mouth. "Thanks!" He said after he was done chewing it. "You're so considerate, Ino." He gave his best smirk, and it had the desired effect. She huffed, and crossed her arms under her breasts. This allowed him to eat the last dumpling. His plan had worked brilliantly.

That is, it worked brilliantly until Ino decided to tackle him. She landed on him, squarely against his chest, and he couldn't breathe. He fell backward and hit his head on the floor, his vision going blurry for a moment. As he blinked and tried to get his air back, he saw her grinning down at him in triumph. Oh, she fought dirty. "Itai…you know, I don't think I like the direction this is going." He sighed, then took her wrists and pinned them at her sides. "You need to chill out, Ino. My head hurts, I'm tired, and I'm getting slightly annoyed."

"Oh, I'm really scared, Sasuke. Besides, this is fun." He raised an eyebrow. How was it fun when he had her trapped? Of all the women for him to be stuck with, why did it have to be her? She was strange, loud, and just plain crazy at times. Sasuke let go of her and gently pushed her off of himself. He gave up on trying to analyze the situation, and took the empty containers his food had been in and brought them to the kitchen where he could throw them away. Ino's footsteps followed, and she put her leftovers in the refrigerator.

"I'm going to bed." He said, his annoyance still clinging to the edge of his voice.

"Where am I going to sleep?" She asked, a curious expression on her face. Damn. He hadn't thought of that.

"Um, there's the couch, and there's my bed. The rest of the rooms are all dusty." He tried very hard not to sound like he had planned this, which was a good thing, since he really hadn't. She looked over his shoulder at the couch, and her brow furrowed.

"Where are you sleeping?"

"My bed, of course." He was confused. Where had she thought he would be sleeping. Oh, she thought he was going to take the couch. "I'm not nice enough to give up my entire bed, Ino. If you want to share, I'm fine with that, but that couch is really hell on my back." She snorted, and made a shooing gesture, meaning that he should lead the way to his bedroom. He knew he was sulking, but he couldn't really help it. When you're as used to getting your own way like Sasuke was, when you don't (and this is meaning his dumplings…he was still hungry), you have a slight tendency to be grumpy.

When they got to his room, Ino looked around. He had never let her in here before. In fact, the only person besides him who ever had permission to come in here since he got back was Naruto (on the extremely off chance that he ever overslept). The room was relatively small. It was the same one he'd had since he was a little boy, though it had been repainted. His mother had painted cats onto the walls when he was four, and he loved them, but they reminded him too much of things that hurt. The walls were now a dusty grayish blue. His bed dominated the room, which wasn't surprising. It was more than two meters wide, and there were times when he had to roll six times until he got to the edge.

Sasuke saw her looking at the mess on the floor, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was just too tired. After he checked the windows, he flopped down onto the bed, immediately crawling under the covers. Ino laughed quietly. "That's so cute it makes me want to puke." Peeking out from where he'd burrowed into the blankets, he saw her smiling at him.

"Are you going to come to bed, or not?" He asked, impatient to have the lights off.

* * *

Ino flipped the light switch, and now the only illumination was coming from the moon outside. She padded over to the opposite side of the bed, and slid in, a full four feet from where Sasuke lay. He was so amusing! She made a mental note to thank Sakura for being a meddler by nature. If she hadn't meddled with Sasuke and herself, she'd probably still be mad at him. When did she stop being angry with him? It didn't matter, really. All that really made any difference was that she was in a warm bed, and her state of mind wasn't as chaotic anymore. 

The bed, though she would like to think of it as warm, actually wasn't. It was rather cold, as most large beds tend to be. Soon, she found herself scooting over toward Sasuke. His sleepy voice said, "What're you doing, Ino?"

"Trying to keep warm. It's freezing in here." He'd given her the absolute smallest set of clothes he had, which fit her just fine, but they were not exactly warm. He grunted and allowed her to do as she wished. He was warm, to say the least. It would be more accurate to say that he was like a human furnace. Closing her eyes, Ino snuggled into the warmth around Sasuke. Sighing happily, she fell asleep in short order.

* * *

Sasuke wondered what in the world he was supposed to do. He had another person (a woman, at that) in his bedroom. Someone else was in his personal, private space. Not only that, she was sleeping right next to him. Ino was probably the one person besides Naruto and Sakura that he really trusted, but with her it was a different kind of trust. Yes, they had been through hell together, but there was more than just the kind of bond that he had with Naruto from saving his ass (and getting his own saved). Or, at least, that's what Sasuke would like to think. 

Long before his brain shut down for the night, he decided that he, in all honesty, simply didn't care if she kicked the crap out of him when she woke up. His arms slid around her and pulled her close, giving her warmth in exchange for the comfort that he got from her. "Good night, Ino. Sleep well."

* * *

08:00 hours 

Home of Uchiha Sasuke

"Hey, Sakura-chan, look at _that_." Naruto nearly giggled as he pointed through the window at a large lump in Sasuke's bed. The lump had two heads. One with hair black as night, and the other the color of pale sunlight. "Should we wake them up?" Sakura shook her head, and Naruto pouted. He was glad that Sasuke seemed happy. The guy was practically smiling in his sleep. Sakura, for her part, seemed pretty smug herself. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Sakura-chan, what's going on, anyway?"

"Oh, not much, Naruto. I just gave them a little push."

"You mean you tricked them into liking each other again." He chuckled and stepped back from the window. "Well, whatever you did, it looks like it worked." He and Sakura walked out of the Uchiha compound together, and later met up with Neji and Hinata. Naruto, of course, couldn't keep his mouth shut about what he'd seen.

* * *

Bright light. That was the first thought she had. It was very bright. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at black cloth. This turned out to be Sasuke's shirt, which she was pressed against. She was also rather trapped, since his arms were fully around her. Ino's head was on his shoulder, and his chin rested on the top of her head. It was altogether the most comfortable position she'd ever woken up in. However comfortable it may be, she was starving, and the sun was bright enough that it was time for them to get up anyway. 

"Sasuke. Sasuke, wake up." After poking him in the stomach, he began to stir. When he moved his head, she looked at him, and smiled. He never had been a morning person. "Good morning, sunshine." He rolled his eyes at this, and tried to close his eyes again to go back to sleep. "Oh, no. If I'm awake, so are you. Come on. We need to get up. Mission report in probably no more than two or three hours." He still didn't respond. "What do I have to do to wake you up, baka?" That caused a low, rumbling chuckle to come from him.

He leaned his head down and kissed her forehead, smiling slightly. "Nothing. I'm already up."

"Liar." She accused. "Don't make me drag you out of bed, Uchiha. I'll do it." Ino started kicking him toward the edge of the bed, but he locked her legs with his and stopped her kicking.

"Now, that's not how I wanted to start my day, Ino." She craned her neck up so that she could look at his face. How could such a simple statement seem so suggestive? _Oh, that's right. It's Sasuke. Everything he does is like that. Especially when he looks at me like that._ She suddenly felt very uncomfortable, and tried to push away from him, but the grip he had on her was like steel. "I won't bite…" He said this softly, slowly, and with such a seductive tone that she had a hard time just keeping herself from turning into a puddle of mush.

"Sasuke? Ano—" Ino was interrupted when he leaned over to her again, and actually thought that her brain had turned literally to mush. Sasuke's lips took hers in a gentle kiss that said 'good morning' and 'why get up?' at the same time. She didn't know why, but she felt tears rolling from her eyes. He pulled away from her, and she was taken aback, because… "Sasuke, you're blushing?"

"So are you." He smirked.

He was right. She shrugged. "So I am. Is it a problem?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not for me."

* * *

**A/N: **So what did you think? Let me know! I don't usually like Sasuke and Ino together, but I somehow loved this idea. 


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